Dog thrown from moving vehicle
El Paso, TX (US)

Incident Date: Monday, Feb 25, 2002
County: El Paso

Disposition: Open

Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Despite new law, no animal abuse case has been indicted as felony

At the Canutillo Animal Shelter, Brandy Gardes gets a kiss from Sheena, a 3-year-old dog who was tossed from a car on I-10. Sheena has three pins holding her front right leg together.

Sheena wags her tail, tries to lick people and hops around on two broken legs as she greets visitors at the Canutillo Animal Shelter.

The 3-year-old mix dog was thrown from a moving car on Interstate 10 in late February. Sheena has three pins holding her right leg together and casts on her two front legs. Part of her left paw had to be removed.

"We have dogs that were beaten so severely they have fractured bones," said Brandy Gardes, a member of the Animal Rescue League which takes in about 100 abused animals a year. "One puppy that just came to me was beaten with a baseball bat. It has cracked ribs and broken legs."

Gardes said these are the type of cases that should be prosecuted under a law that elevates some forms of animal cruelty in Texas from a misdemeanor to a felony. Gardes, a federal prosecutor, last year helped draft the legislation authored by State Rep. Manny Najera, D-El Paso. People convicted of the crime face up to two years in a state jail and a fine up to $10,000.

But no one in El Paso County has been indicted under the new law since it was enacted Sept. 1. The number of misdemeanor cruelty to animal cases was not available Tuesday from the County Clerk's Office.

El Paso County District Attorney Jaime Esparza said that animal cruelty cases are not treated any different than other cases - if there are any to prosecute.

"Animal cruelty case is not a case that comes to us routinely," Esparza said. "We treat them like the other cases, but they are unique because they are not customary."

If you have information on this case, please contact:
Brandy Gardes
[email protected]

References

• El Paso Times

« TX State Animal Cruelty Map

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